Alter grad leads Missouri to upset of LSU

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Bazelak became the first Missouri freshman to throw four touchdown passes since Maty Mauk in 2013, and he set a Missouri freshman record by completing 85.3 percent of his passes. It’s the second-highest percentage in school history by any player.

Bazelak earned the starting job when he came off the bench against Tennessee last week and completed 13 of 21 passes for 218 yards. He replaced Shawn Robinson in the starting lineup against LSU.

“Well, he got in and we moved the ball offensively,” Missouri coach Elijah Drinkwitz told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He moved the ball on third downs. He made good decisions in the pocket. There are some things that he missed and some things that he’s got to improve on, but I just felt like he handled the situation well and he gave us a chance. And we’re gonna stick with him.”

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This was Bazelak’s second career start for Missouri. He started the season finale last season against Arkansas but suffered a torn ACL in the first half. He recovered in time to compete for the starting job this season.

“I’ve put a lot of time and effort into my rehab to be able to get back for fall camp, for the summer,” Bazelak told the Kansas City Star. “A lot of time when everyone was at home in quarantine, I was doing rehab in the training room. I’m just happy that I was able to do that and now I’m here and I’m just going game-by-game.”

Bazelak played in three games last season, so he didn’t lose a year of eligibility. He’s a redshirt freshman this fall.

At Alter, Bazelak was a two-year starter. He led the Knights to a 9-2 record as a junior. They finished 13-2 in his senior year, reaching the state championship game before losing 42-6 to Chagrin Falls Kenston.